Rix Mill Road crossing may soon see repairs

NEW CONCORD Its been a long fight for residents in the Rix Mills Road area, but with a little bit of luck with the weather, they may see the fruits of their efforts next week.

For the last two years, residents have been fighting for repairs to the CSX railroad crossing at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Rix Mills Road. Barbara Pittman, the organizer of a letter writing campaign to legislators, said the crossing has been a problem since the opening of General Warehouse.

There are at least 400 truck crossings every day, and it has really torn up this crossing. We drive as carefully as we can, but we still bottom out because of the potholes, she explained. We just couldnt get any response until we initiated the letter writing campaign to our legislators.

Letters went out to U.S. Rep. Nancy Hollister, Sen. Bob Ney, and State Reps. Jim Carnes and Jim Asalanides.

It wasnt long before we had a response. Obviously, they had more clout than I did, mused Pittman.

For residents, the resulting repairs are confirmation that their legislators were paying attention.

We really have to thank our legislators for getting this project noticed, because the railroad certainly wasnt paying attention to us, Pittman concluded. I tried to call and I know John Huey did also, and we got absolutely nowhere.

The crossing was first addressed last year during Muskingum Countys annual road repair projects in the area, but CSX denied access for the repairs, according to New Concord Village Administrator John Huey.

We arent certain why the access was denied, but I believe it was probably due to miscommunication, Huey commented.

Huey explained that CSX has a crew of four that repair crossings from Cincinnati to Cambridge. When they arrived Wednesday morning, the supervisor said it was one of the worst he had seen.

As a result of that inspection, CSX granted permission to Muskingum County to begin the repairs. According to the contract specifications between the county and the railroad, the $5,000 cost of the repairs will be paid by county commissioners, and CSX will provide a flagger for the project which is expected to begin next Wednesday. According to Huey, the project is expected to take two to three days.

Huey said the CSX representative believes the crossing needs to be upgraded from a residential crossing to a commercial crossing since there is the additional use by General Warehouse. The cost of $20,000 in materials would be paid by Muskingum County commissioners, and the labor would be provided by CSX.

Although the repairs will be costly to the county, Huey explained that General Warehouse does pay a significant amount in real estate and property taxes in addition to their contributions to community projects such as the purchase of a new ladder truck and the upgraded turning radius at the intersections in the village.

They also provide 150 jobs that allow households to make a living, and that doesnt count the local truck drivers, according to Huey.